The Journal's all-purpose sports report.

The Golf World Parses Tiger at Torrey Pines

With a first-round, three-under par 69 on Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open, Tiger Woods kicked off his 2011 golf season with a relatively quiet debut, finishing the day tied for 22nd, five shots off the lead. At this time last year, Woods was a punchline. After Thursday’s round, he’d settled into his role as a national enigma. Woods showed off a new swing at Torrey Pines, but it was his short game—namely, his putts—that kept him from making a bigger splash in the quasi-comeback tour. “Woods missed a good half-dozen birdie putts from within 15 feet,” the Journal’s Matthew Futterman reports from San Diego. But fans rooting for Woods shouldn’t fear: he has absolutely dominated this tournament in the past, winning seven titles, and in four of those victories, according to the Associated Press, he trailed by five shots or more in the opening round. Still, this anticipated debut left plenty of doubt in the minds of those hoping for something less frustrating from the 35-year-old. “Ultimately, this wasn’t the rebirth of the superhero of 2000 as much as it was a continuation of the evolution of 2010,” Robert Lusetich of Fox Sports writes. “A man still in search of his game, still not quite sure of himself.”

Associated Press

Is there any American athlete whom photographers like to catch looking like this more than Tiger Woods?

Woods’s pedestrian first round in San Diego capped off of a string of recent rough breaks for the golfer. Earlier this week he dropped in the world golf rankings, yielding his No. 2 spot to Martin Kaymer, who destroyed the field in Abu Dhabi last weekend. Just to pile on, Rickey Fowler took over Woods’s spot as playing editor for Golf Digest, there were claims that images of female nudity (denied by maker Electronic Arts) was hacked into the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 video game, and a nurse who worked in the hospital where Woods was treated after his infamous Thanksgiving 2009 SUV crash is suing the hospital for firing him because they believed he was inappropriately taking peeks at Woods’s medical records. The judge presiding over the case Wednesday allowed for media access to the proceedings, which could well reveal more than Woods’s alleged hospital aliases: “Ronald Williams” and “Ernest Smith.” ”

It’s not all gloom and doom for Woods, however. He earned raves for his marathon Twitter session on his way to Torrey Pines Tuesday, showing a fun, human side while answering fan questions and even referencing a classic “Chappelle’s Show” skit that lampooned him. And if he can get his short game straightened out, Woods has a good a chance as anyone to come out of Torrey Pines with a win this weekend. Woods has essentially moved past the controversy he brought upon himself last year. This year, he has to prove that he can still play. “Being a punch line isn’t the worst thing that can happen to an athlete,” Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick writes. “Being irrelevant is, which is why this season is so important for Woods.”

* * *

The Tennessee Titans announced Thursday that the team and coach Jeff Fisher would be parting ways, effective immediately. The move comes just three weeks after Fisher had seemed to win a power struggle with quarterback Vince Young. Owner Bud Adams announced on Jan. 5 that Young would not be on the roster next season and he would be keeping Fisher. Young still has not been officially released, but the general consensus is that he will be traded or cut before a roster bonus kicks in around mid-March (barring a work stoppage). Fisher, meanwhile, had one year left on his contract and had not given any indication—at least publicly—that he was going to leave. “Jeff Fisher leaving the Tennessee Titans does not surprise me,” NFL.com’s Michael Lombardi writes. “What surprises me is that he is leaving now.”

His departure creates just another gaping hole in the Tennessee coaching staff. Titans defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil was fired last week and defensive line coach Jim Washburn left to take the same position with the Eagles. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger is battling cancer. “The Titans now have the unenviable task of finding a head coach, a defensive coordinator and two position coaches,” Bob McClellan of CBSSports.com writes. “Every other team that had been looking for a head coach at least has filled that job.”

David Climer of the Tennessean calls that the timing of this move, an a word, weird. “What’s next? At this point, nothing will surprise me,” he says. “Maybe Bud will name Vince Young player-coach.”

* * *

On the same day Amar’e Stoudemire was named a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, the New York Knicks took down the Miami Heat, 93-88, behind 24 points from their MVP candidate. The game didn’t have as much buzz as Miami’s first trip to New York—”Everyone’s gotten their angriest boos out of the way,” the Journal’s Jason Gay noted—but the Knicks still managed to hold LeBron James to 7-for-24 shooting from the field for the win.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade, who had been battling migraines, had a possible remedy swatted down by the NBA before the game, when they rejected the tinted goggles he’s been wearing to help offset the glare from the bright lights in most arenas, which may be a partial cause of the unpredictable headaches. The league allowed him to instead wear a pair that had less tint. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra explained the league’s reasoning for banning the original pair as, “an unfair advantage by the opponent not being able to see your eyes.”

* * *

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in about two weeks, representing that light at the end of the harsh tunnel known as winter. In honor of baseball starting up again, SB Nation’s Jon Bois has compiled a collection of the greatest player names to ever grace the game of baseball. At the top of the list? Al Kaline. “He was a terrific baseball player, a Hall of Famer, and a famous person,” Bois writes. “And yet, even after tossing his name around for 50 years, we either have not noticed or haven’t bothered to mention that his name is Alkaline.” Not to take anything away from Bois’s offbeat work, but credit has to go to Roy Blount, Jr., who actually did notice this Al Kaline/alkaline connection in a brilliant 2004 Sports Illustrated piece, “As So Often Happens?” We humbly suggest you enjoy both columns before shoveling out your driveway for a third time on Friday.

Comments (5 of 16)

I like to start with the eyebrows, to set the tone and expression for the face. Where you start is a matter of preference. After the eyebrows are done, I do all the outlining of the eyes and lips, as well as the shading of the face.

3:57 pm February 1, 2011

frankieFIVE wrote:

I feel so bad for Tiger......poor guy. I am going to buy more NIke stuff and hopefully some of the profits go to him.

4:05 pm January 29, 2011

Joyce wrote:

Some of these replies are typical of 'humans'... alot of people 'do it' what ever 'it' happens to be, a whore monger, a thief, a liar, a hypocrite, a mocker, a scorner, whatever your vice is.. I saw it when men so easily dismissed this guys character, as being equal to another man who had 'done it. So, let me get this straight.. your moral character can be in the cesspool, cuz other people live there too... wow! no wonder morality is non existant in this country... unbelievable....the 'bar' is so low no one has to 'reach' anymore. Alot of women cheat on their man too... but I never have, and I have had plenty of reason to. I prefer to reach for the sky, and NOT be like anyone else, if all that crap is A-Ok.... b.s.

12:04 pm January 29, 2011

Anonymous wrote:

Compared to some of the players in the NFL being an unfaithful husband is not a crime. The divorce is finished and now he and his ex-wife can move forward in with lives and careers.

5:13 pm January 28, 2011

Reality wrote:

get a grip. Gather three of your married friends. Odds are at least one of them has cheated on their spouse. Not saying it's right to cheat, but don't throw stones at people you don't know. Maybe start with those you do know.

SPORTS, THE JOURNAL WAY

Be sure to check your Daily Fix all week long. The Fix's daily rundown of the best sportswriting on the Web is joined by features such as The Count, a look at the most revealing sports stats, as well as regular live reports of major sports events. Tell us what you think of the Fix at dailyfixlinks@gmail.com.